VALIANT FIRST begins in force this May with an all-new vision of the future in RAI #1 – a new monthly series from comics superstars Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain!

The year is 4001 A.D. – led by the artificial intelligence called “Father,” the island nation of Japan has expanded out of the Pacific and into geosynchronous orbit with the ravaged Earth below. With billions to feed and protect, it has fallen to one solitary guardian to enforce the law of Father’s empire – the mysterious folk hero known as Rai. They say he can appear out of nowhere. They say he is a spirit…the ghost of Japan. But when the first murder in a thousand years threatens to topple Father’s benevolent reign, Rai will be forced to confront the true face of a nation transformed…and his own long-lost humanity…

The end times are now! Master storyteller Peter Milligan is pushing Shadowman to the edge – but can Jack Boniface survive the plunge?

Jack thought he’d finally fixed his life — and the source of his dark power. But when a figure from the past emerges with a troubling revelation about his destiny, the new Shadowman will plummet into an abyss far darker than any demon. Make no mistake — doom is coming for Shadowman…and it all begins right here in the first of three oversized issues!

Never tried a Valiant book before but this preview made me pick of Rai #1. It was quite good. The art was excellent and the story was intriguing. I will be sampling it for a few more months but if it stays this good it goes on the pull list (it will replace Azzy's WW when he leaves and I thus drop it).